Kazan2022 Women's 3m synchro Universiade Swimming

Statement on Special Olympics World Winter Games in Kazan

World Winter Games in Kazan (Russia) canceled

With sadness, disappointment, and deep frustration, Special Olympics International announces today that we will not be holding the World Winter Games in Kazan, Russia, which had been scheduled to begin on 21 January 2023.

For more than a half century, Special Olympics athletes, volunteers, families, and colleagues have been a nonpolitical, non-partisan force for the dignity, joy, and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities around the world. In that spirit, our movement has been brought to life in communities in more than 190 countries. Our philosophy has been simple: we want to work with countries, cities, villages, communities, schools, and clubs around the world that want to join our movement to improve respect, opportunity, and voice for people with intellectual disabilities and their friends and families. Our only limitation is our capacity to protect the effectiveness and independence of our organization and the safety of our athletes and community.

We can no longer ensure the effectiveness of the World Winter Games in Kazan or the safety of our athletes and community. The horrific violence in Ukraine, the extensive sanctions implemented by the international community, and the uncertainty and fear being experienced around the world make it impossible to proceed. We are devastated by the fear and destruction being experienced by our athletes and community in Ukraine. Persons with an intellectual disability are suffering disproportionately, unfairly, and tragically in this war, as they have during the pandemic. We join our voices to millions around the world demanding peace and an end to violence immediately.

This cancellation is devastating to us, to our athletes in Ukraine, to our athletes in Russia, and to our athletes around the world who have trained for years to compete. We are grateful to people of good will within Russia and around the world who worked for years to make these Games a success and while the Games will not take place, we commit ourselves to continue working with the Special Olympics Program there now and in the future. We remain resolute in our commitment to our athletes irrespective of political, national or other boundaries. We are a community of people who are unwilling to stop at anything to create a worldwide movement of inclusion with our athletes leading by word, by vision, and by example. We will stay focused on that mission in new and even more powerful ways in the days, months, and years ahead.

WASHINGTON, DC, June 29, 2020 - Kazan, Russia will host the Special Olympics World Winter Games in 2022 with a key aim of transforming the lives and prospects of people with intellectual disabilities across Russia. “Hosting the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2022 adds Kazan to an elite group of international cities leading the inclusion charge for people with intellectual disabilities,” said Mary Davis, CEO of Special Olympics. “The global Special Olympics movement has confidence in Kazan’s ability to host a world-class Games that deliver a lasting impact. Congratulations to Kazan!” Using the platform of the Games, Special Olympics will seek to transform attitudes about intellectual disabilities in Russia, as well as create new opportunities for social integration for the estimated three million people with intellectual disabilities living in Russia.

Special Olympics Russia has been active for more than two decades and has 128,000 athletes taking part in sport and competition across the country. However, this represents only 4 percent of the estimated three million people with intellectual disabilities in Russia. One of the key aims of the World Winter Games will be to grow athlete numbers to 200,000 and expand into all 85 regions of Russia by 2025. There will also be a focus on the development and expansion of Unified Sports© and related programs, where athletes with and without intellectual disabilities play sports together, and related inclusive programs in education, health, and wide-scale youth engagement. The Special Olympics World Winter Games are among the world’s most prestigious sporting events, uniquely focused on advancing a truly inclusive world for people with intellectual disabilities. World Games also provide a prominent platform for the movement’s work in health, education, and leadership for athletes.

Regarded as Russia’s capital of sports, Kazan is an exciting new destination for Special Olympics. The Special Olympics World Winter Games Kazan 2022 will mark the first time the organization has brought a global competition to Russia. No stranger to major sports events, Kazan has played host an array of top sports competitions, including the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2015 FINA World Championships and the 27th Summer Universiade.